Avoid a Bad (Food) Date With These Tips

I’m not quite sure why, but when my kids are uncertain about whether a food in the fridge is spoiled, they say, “Mom could you taste this?” What do they think I look like, the jester that tastes the food before it gets to the king? Do my taste buds contain a unique bacteria sensor?

But apparently, my family is not alone in being confused about whether foods have gone beyond their life expectancy. According to a new survey commissioned by NSF International and conducted by CARAVAN, Americans are confused over dates on food labels — causing them to hold onto some foods too long, while prematurely throwing other foods away.

The survey showed that about half (47 percent) of consumers wait until a food looks moldy or its color or texture changes. Some respondents (17 percent) wait until a food smells badly to ditch it. But some foods that are ready for the trash don’t give off those obvious cues. To help determine whether to toss or taste those specimens, here’s a handy guide from my book, Read It Before You Eat It, to help you navigate the “dating” game:

Many of the dates used are not an indicator of safety but rather of quality.

A package date represents when the food was manufactured, processed, and packaged. This date is used for foods that have a longer shelf life, like canned or frozen goods. Frozen foods are best if used within a couple of months of this date. Canned goods can remain unopened for up to a year after this date.

The pull-by or sell-by dates are printed on dairy and meat products; this is the last date the product should be sold. If the product is stored properly, that date can be extended and the food still may be safe to consume, but the store should not be displaying the product past this date.

Best-if-used-by (or before) dates are meant to represent the products’ best quality; after this date, the food may lose some of its freshness and nutritional value, but this is not a purchase or safety date. Eating a product that has gone past this date won’t hurt you, but there might be some loss of flavor and quality.

Expiration or use-by dates refer to the last dates the food should be eaten or used. This date has been determined by the manufacturer of the product.

Open dating is found primarily on perishable foods such as meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products. Open dates refer to the actual calendar dates, which are more easily interpreted by the average consumer, as opposed to coded dating.

Close or coded dates are used by the manufacturer to identify and locate products; this is particularly helpful in the event of a recall.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RDN, CDN

Bonnie is Director and Owner of BTD Nutrition Consultants, LLC, with offices on Long Island and in New York City where she has been counseling individuals, including many celebrities and dignitaries, as well as...read more